The Gift
by Laguna's twin sister
Summary: Zhou Yu had planned many strategies and solved countless of problems before ... yet why can't he think of the perfect birthday present for Xiao Qiao? And what's this? Sun Ce's playing the wise man? XQ x ZY


Disclaimers: I don't own Dynasty warriors. Please don't sue me.

The Gift

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A dark cloud seemed to cover his usually serene face as he strolled down the busy harbor. It seemed strange how his stormy expression was in total contrast to the unusually calm sea. The sailors went their way, bringing goods in and out the big junks, the busy merchants seeming almost happy with all the shouting and haggling that happened everywhere. And yet there he was, strategist of Wu, in his simple robes and stern expression, looking as if there were a crisis or a brawl he wanted to pick.

Yet there were no enemies in these peaceful times. No calamities could possibly go to their kingdom. He had no war plan to strategize or retribution to claim. He was simply taking a stroll in the town's busiest commercial district wishing, hoping he can find the thing he was looking for. It was his current crisis – the crisis that caused his foul mood. For once, he, the Great Zhou Yu, in all his wisdom and skill could not find the thing he was looking for because he didn't know what it was in the first place. Such a trivial matter deeply upset him for its mere triviality. He simply cannot believe that such a simple task troubled him so – and for once he was at a loss. It was because his current predicament simply escaped logic.

"OH! Lord Zhou Yu!" a merchant stopped him in his tracks as the man almost groveled before him, "It so nice to see you here! What may I do for you? Is there something you need?"

Yes in fact, there was, Zhou Yu thought to himself as he glanced at the man's wares.

"An amulet perhaps? Or a sword scabbard? What about new books from west and some manuscripts from the south…" the man moved closer and whispered, "we even have some charms and potions…not that you would need it my lord… but… well…"

Zhou Yu shrugged off indifferently but he guessed his unfriendliness would do him no good. "I am not interested in those things right now old man,"

"Then what do you need my lord? You seem to be tired of looking."

"I need to find something for my wife."

Yes. His wife. The great strategist of Wu had spent hours even before dawn just to find what he was looking for.

For in this wonderful day when the sun is smiling brightly, the winds are pleasant and the seas are calm … and the great Zhou Yu was being uncharacteristically at a complete loss, his wife Xiao Qiao was celebrating her birthday.

"Oh that's wonderful!" the man clasped his hands tightly and moved to a trunk at the side of his stall, "Here we have silks and perfumes, threads and jewelry and cosmetics!"

Zhou yu shook his head. It simply will not do. He had been to every stall he could find and saw trinkets from the farthest corners of the world and yet nothing he saw seemed to be worth giving his wife. Nothing… nothing seemed to be good enough to be presented to her on this special day…

"What is wrong sir? Do you not like my goods?"

"No, no it's not that," the handsome man shook his head, "Your products are wonderful…I just feel like they aren't appropriate to…" he stopped and tried to phrase his words so the old man would not misunderstand. It was because he knew he could get Xiao Qiao these things whenever he wanted to, whenever she asked him to. But on this special day, he wanted to give her something out of the ordinary – something so wonderful that she would not forget. Something he wouldn't normally give her on an ordinary day. Yet does such a thing exist? Something so special that it would compare to her, that it would be worth giving to her and only her – on this very special day…

"Oh but my lord, if you don't mind my suggestions, women adore silks – or even jewels! It would make a good gift. Any woman would love to get one as a present!"

But that is just it. Xiao Qiao isn't just any other woman. Her beauty is almost legendary and the way she moves … is a cross between exquisite and graceful. She filled his heart with joy with her childish ways and yet he saw her no less as a woman – a woman brave enough to fight by his side and share with him her love…

No. Silks and jewels aren't enough to please her on this day. He vowed not to go home until he finds the perfect gift.

Yet it was starting to become an unbearable task, as he realized it over an hour ago. He was afraid that he'd miss more of his wife's special day because of it. He was starting to feel awful because of it and he was tempted to take the merchant's offer and go home. Yet he graciously declined and walked away, promising the man that he would be back once he changes his mind or decides to get something else.

He walked aimlessly back on the path again, glancing from one stall to another to find the perfect gift to give his wife. Just then he heard a voice calling out to him and he had to stop on his tracks and turn around.

Just then he saw his sworn brother, running towards his direction, failing to see the other merchants looking at him with awe and admiration.

Zhou Yu sighed and cursed his luck. Just what he needed – now with Sun Ce tagging along with him, his task simply became impossible.

"Hey! What are you doing here!" the big man huffed as he caught his breath.

"Aren't I supposed to be the one to ask you that?" he muttered in reply.

"You're crazy do you know that? It's your wife's birthday and you're here in the middle of nowhere. You're a foolish man to make your wife lonely today of all days."

"This isn't the middle of nowhere, and I am here for a purpose," Zhou yu felt guilty at hearing Sun Ce's statement. "I'm here to buy her a gift."

"A gift? Don't tell me the great Zhou Yu forgot to actually get one prior to today. What is this, some lapse in your strategy?" the man regretted his words when he saw the serious look in his friend's face. "I'm kidding. Come on, buy a nice trinket and let's go home."

"I can't just buy her a 'trinket'! If I did then I'd been home hours ago," he said exasperatedly.

"Then why didn't 'ya?" Sun Ce crossed his arms and looked up thoughtfully, "You know, Da Qiao told me that Xiao Qiao isn't very hard to please. So go on, don't stress yourself over it and just get her anything… or everything you think she'd like."

Zhou Yu sighed. It was pointless. Sun Ce would never understand – he barely understood himself. It wasn't entirely just about Xiao Qiao or her birthday or her preferences… it was because… it was because…

"I remember the days when you'd just pick a flower from the garden and tell girls about your poetry and they think that they just had the best day of their lives. Knowing that charm and pretty face of yours, I'm sure even Xiao Qiao would fall for it." He wished he could eat back his words once more when he saw Zhou Yu's icy glare pointed at him.

"Tell me something Sun Ce. Would you give your queen just any trinket she'd like? Would you give her anything you can normally get for her on a special day as her birthday? Wouldn't you at least make the effort to give her something extra-special?"

"Of course I would, what do you take me for!" Sun Ce replied, slightly humiliated, "I'd give her the prettiest thing I can find."

"But would you give her something you can normally give her some other day?"

He stopped for a while as if to think and then he replied, "Yeah, I guess I would"

Zhou yu looked surprised at his reply, yet before he could speak Sun Ce cut him off.

"Anything I give to my wife is special. And I can give it to her any day, anytime she wants me to. Because everything I do for her, I do it with my love – I show her my love. And I know she understands, because that's what husbands and wives do." He looked at his friend suddenly, as if feeling he was the wiser one at that moment, "Zhou Yu, love isn't like a war strategy. You don't have to allocate your rations or plan your attack. You just go with the moment. Do as you please."

Zhou Yu stubbornly looked back at his friend as he tried to absorb what he just said, "But I still haven't found the perfect gift…I want to please her…"

"I'm sure she is not pleased right now, with you missing when she wants you by her side." He looked at Zhou Yu's tired face and grinned, "I am also sure that you are not pleased at all either."

The strategist was surprised when he suddenly felt being dragged off by Sun Ce.

"What are you…"

"Come on my friend. Now I know what your problem is,"

"But the gift…"

"I know you have it in you all along. You didn't have to go here and buy it. You still have the one thing – the one special thing Xiao Qiao surely wants."

He looked confusedly at his friend, "What? I don't understand!"

"You'll figure it out!" Sun Ce laughed out loud then, "You're the smart one, aren't you?"

Zhou yu simply muttered to himself and rode off with Sun Ce.

Soon they were back in the palace where the festivities were starting to take place. Food was starting to be brought out and more people were coming for the banquet to celebrate his wife's birthday. Yet he could not find her anywhere. Maybe… maybe Sun Ce was right. Maybe his search for the perfect gift made her lonelier than he thought.

And what's worse was that he ended up going home empty handed.

Yet he thought about Sun Ce's words a while back

"_Love isn't like a war strategy. You don't have to allocate your rations or plan your attack. You just go with the moment. Do as you please…"_

Just then he found that his feet brought him to the palace's secret garden. And there she was, Xiao Qiao, his wife, with a grim expression in her face…

"This is a day of celebration, you shouldn't frown my wife," he said softly and Xiao Qiao quickly saw him and a smile immediately formed on her face.

"Lord Zhou Yu!" she quickly ran to his side and hugged him as tightly as she could, "the moment I woke up, you were not there. I thought that something bad may have happened…or that maybe I had done something to displease you…"

She truly was a wonderful girl, he thought, for as he felt like the world was crashing down on him over such a trivial matter, here was his wife, thinking she had done him wrong when it was the other way around. He could have spent all day, all his lifetime, looking for a gift yet nothing would ever suffice. And now he knew why. And now he also realized the reason why it had bothered him so.

"Forgive me Xiao Qiao for leaving you like that. I didn't want to do so, believe me. For I … would rather spend my time with you." His sweet words touched her heart and she sighed with happiness.

"But where did you go my lord, could you please tell me? Maybe I can help."

He chuckled at her concern and tightened his embrace, "I was looking for a perfect gift for you. I wasted all day looking for something yet finding nothing. But then Sun Ce came and told me I had it all along."

Xiao Qiao broke off slightly and looked up to see her husband's face, "Oh? What is it?"

"At first I didn't know myself. But I think now that I'm with you I finally know what it is." He touched her face gently and bent down a little to make his lips touch hers. She shyly responded and felt warmth in her cheeks and all over her body.

"Xiao Qiao I… I know I never said it before but I… I love you."

Now he knew why not finding a special gift bothered him so – and why nothing sufficed in the first place. It was because he was trying to express something he had felt in his heart for so long – yet didn't know how. He wanted to let her know how much she meant to him and how special she was to his world. He wanted to celebrate this day more than she would ever know – for it was on this day that she was born and it was the first step for him to ever get to know such a miracle.

He stiffened as he saw tears in her eyes. "Xiao Qiao, my love… I…"

"Lord Zhou Yu," she sniffled as she looked up with him with a shaky smile, "I'm sorry for crying… it's just that I'm so happy… and I can't keep it inside…That was the greatest gift …"

He raised his hands to her face and gently wiped away the tears in her eyes. He had always been an egocentric man yet his love for her humbled him. He didn't feel like he was enough to make her happy which was why he looked for something else to please her. He never knew such a simple confession was enough to make her happy enough to bring her to tears.

"Now we must celebrate."

"Uh-huh!" Xiao Qiao exclaimed and clung to her husband's arm. "But Lord Zhou Yu, next time you're at a loss about what to give me, just ask me and I'll tell you all right?"

The strategist of Wu grinned and the dark cloud was completely lifted off his head. Truly his wife was wonderful. Now he can celebrate thinking he would have no trouble whatsoever next year.

The End

Author's Notes: This is my birthday fanfic for fatalgrace16. Belated happy birthday to you. You are now just six years younger than me. Mwahahahaha. Anyway, since I was forced er… -ehem- I mean, "inspired" to do this even without me playing the game myself, some things may have been inaccurate or whatever. I want to apologize for that. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks to all who read and I do hope you can review if you can. :)


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